The parish of Our Lady of Conceiçao[15] is six leagues east from Macacu, approximating the left margin of the small river Bonito; and the inhabitants are farmers of mandioca, feijao, Indian corn, sugar, and some rice.
Two leagues to the north-east of Macacu, betwixt the two small rivers of Pinto and Entulho, is situated the parish of Santissima Trinidade, (Holy Trinity,) in a fertile country, the productions of which are, notwithstanding, confined to the necessaries of life.
The parish of Tamby occupies an open country, near the left bank of the river Aldeia, about two miles south of Macacu, with a church of Our Lady of Desterro. About a mile to the east of the parish of Tamby, and within its district, is situated the port of Caixas, with a hermitage of Our Lady of Conceiçao, upon the right bank of the Aldeia not far from its confluence with the Macacu. This is the grand point from whence all the productions of the district of Tapacora, and the surrounding parishes, are embarked in boats for the capital, and more sugar is sent from hence than from all the other ports in the bay.
About two leagues to the south-east of Villa Nova, and not far from the bay, is the parish of St. Gonçalo d’Amarante, on the right bank of the small river of that name. Its dwellers produce a large quantity of farinha, feijao, and Indian corn, with the superabundance of which, as well as that of coffee, sugar, and casaçha, much specie is introduced into the district.
Mage, a middling town, with the title of countship, and in an agreeable situation upon the left bank of the river from which it derives its name, has some commerce, and a handsome parish-church of Our Lady of Piedade. It is about three leagues west of Macacu and one from the bay; and the river, which has here a wooden bridge, supplies the town with fish. In boats and craft of considerable burden, a large quantity of farinha, Indian corn, feijao, some sugar, rice, and a little coffee, are from thence exported. This place was erected into a town in the year 1789. An English gentleman has a country house near Mage, where parties occasionally go for the purpose of shooting, particularly snipes, which abound in the neighbouring morasses.
Four miles to the north-east of Mage, near the right bank of the river Guapymirim, is the parish of Ajuda, the soil of which is remarkably fertile, the inhabitants preferring the culture of mandioca, rice, and coffee, to the sugar-cane: they also export a great deal of wood.
Two leagues to the west of Mage, is the parish of St. Nicolau, upon the right margin of the Suruhy, consisting of a mountainous district of ten miles from north to south, and three in width, being partly planted with mandioca, rice, and coffee, but principally with the banana fruit, which introduces annually seventy thousand crusades, arising, it is said, from the industry of the whites, who exceed the number of negroes, but more likely from the properties of the soil and climate.
One league to the south-east of the port of Estrella is situated the parish of Our Lady of Guia, upon the borders of the bay, near the mouth of the small river of Pacobahyba, from whence are embarked various necessaries of life, its principal productions.
About four miles to the north-east of the port of Estrella is the parish of Our Lady of Piedade d’Inhumirim, situated at the angle of the confluence of the river of that name with the small river Cruz. Its parishioners are farmers of Indian corn and mandioca, which prosper abundantly. In this district is situated Mandioca estate, belonging to G. Langsdorff, Esq. the Russian consul-general, a delightful situation, and which he became possessed of in consequence of his pursuits as a naturalist leading him frequently into that part of the country. To accommodate a person, from whom he had received some civilities, with a certain portion of land to form a rancho, for the accommodation of mules and their drivers coming from the mines, he was induced to purchase the whole tract of land, in the possession of one individual, without any fine, and, from its peculiar adaptation to the produce of mandioca, he gave it that name. He paid under one thousand pounds for it, and its extent, which is estimated at ten square miles, he has not yet explored. He has already planted twenty thousand coffee-trees upon it, and the produce of mandioca in 1819 yielded near one thousand sacks of farinha, worth from eight to ten shillings per sack. The King has granted him the important privilege of allowing the neighbouring people, working upon his estate, an exemption from the militia duty, which, of course, induces a great many to offer their services upon moderate terms; so that, with the addition of about sixty slaves working upon it, the property is rapidly improving. He is building a house upon the estate. Mr. Langsdorff is respectably known to the literary world by the publication of his voyages. His pursuit in the obtainment of objects in natural history has been indefatigable, and in butterflies alone he has accumulated sixteen hundred different kinds.[16]
Some leagues from hence, upon the track leading to the mining districts, is situated the extensive establishment of Padre Corre, for shoeing mules, previously to their proceeding into the interior districts. In this trade the padre has accumulated a considerable sum: he grows a prodigious quantity of the finest peaches, and has the character of being exceedingly hospitable to strangers.